Practical EU guidelines to assess fitness of pigs for transport

Practical EU guidelines to assess the fitness of pigs for transport have now been translated into several official languages by the EU Commission in Brussels to help professionals ensure that pigs are in a fit state to be transported.

Wednesday 17 May 2017 (1 years 7 months 2 days ago)

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The voluntary guidelines, which have been welcomed by the EU Commission, have been written by leading EU agri-food, veterinary, road transport and animal welfare stakeholder groups.

They are the result of two years of work by UECBV, Copa and Cogeca, the Eurogroup for Animals, Animals Angels, FVE, IRU, ELT, INAPORC and Cooperl Arc Atlantique. These guidelines for pigs will supplement the set of guidelines on animal fitness for transport for cattle and horses.

They aim to give professionals involved in the transport of pigs easy-to-understand help and advice on how best to transport pigs to ensure that they have a high level of welfare. Transporting animals that are not fit to be moved is not in anyone’s interest since it could lead to sanctions, financial losses and the withdrawal of the driver’s license and/or authorization to transport such animals.

The guidelines became available in most EU languages this week. The stakeholders would like to thank the Commission for the support provided in translating the document. This will certainly accelerate access to it by all professionals involved with pig transportation in the EU and have a positive impact on pig welfare.

The English version of the guidelines has enjoyed great success already, having been downloaded by over 200 operators across the EU, including farmers, veterinarians, transporters, universities and so on. If you are a professional involved in the transport of pigs (producer, transporter, etc.), please request a copy via the UECBV website or via info@uecbv.eu.